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VOLUME 8 ISSUE 5
15
travel tips
www.AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
animal wellness
contents 55
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Illustration: www.bungalowart.com Photo: Yvonne Hollandy
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features 18
Is your animal hurting? The keys to managing his pain
24
Making the most of pet-friendly accommodations
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animal wellness
15 tips for good travel etiquette
Coming of age The benefits of adopting a mature animal
36
Are you a part of your animal's health care team? When it comes to his well being, it pays to be proactive
40 How to deal with a “leaky� animal
Incontinence and its solutions
44 5 ways to prepare for a disaster
How do you stack up?
62
Photo: Mark Robinson
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46 Top natural
solutions for arthritis What the experts recommend
55 What's your dog's personality type? Take this quiz to find out!
62 Raring to go
Mobility aids can give your best friend a new lease on life
74 Does your feline
71 Rescued pigs
find new homes
have FLUTD?
Visit a Shangri-la among sanctuaries
73 How Doodle
Here's what you need to know
"changed our lives" A canine cancer survivor inspires her guardians to start a business
80 Counting your blessings
The healing power of food and water
86 Elk velvet antler Nature's answer to arthritis
ONTARIO REGIONAL SECTION
animal wellness
Is your animal
Photo: Yvonne Hollandy
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animal wellness
hurting? The keys to managing his pain by Susan Marino
Five weeks after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Ginger, a 75-pound Labrador retriever, walked haltingly into the makeshift clinic. Examination by the veterinarian revealed a painful lower spine. The following day her hind limbs were paralyzed. She was prescribed Rimadyl for her pain. A week went by and Ginger’s physical condition declined and she appeared increasingly depressed. Then volunteer Dr. Sabra Lucus joined our search and rescue team. Her knowledge of pain management was just what Ginger needed. Dr. Lucas carefully examined Ginger, inserted an intravenous line and administered a Torbogesic/Dormitor “cocktail” every four hours. Within an hour of receiving the medication, Ginger was alert, scoffed down a bowl of food, was playing with toys and licking my face. Though her paralysis did not improve, managing her pain turned her into a happy dog.
Suffering in silence Our denial and/or lack of understanding of pain have caused both humans and animals much suffering. As a pediatric nurse back in the 1980s, I remember doctors performing open-heart surgeries on neonates without anesthesia or analgesia. The infant was given only a paralytic agent. The belief at the time was that infants did not experience pain the same way adults did. It was also believed that having language was essential for the
ability to feel pain. The same attitude has been applied to animals; because they don’t talk, it was open for debate whether or not they even felt pain. On the whole, it seems there is little consensus among veterinarians for the care and treatment of pain in our animal companions. As an experienced Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP), I know that patients in pain pose a great challenge. During physical therapy they are protective of the painful areas. They do not ambulate well. Pain is a major obstacle to doing basic range of motion exercises. The animal’s participation in the rehabilitation program is forced and he is often non-compliant.
What is pain? The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in animal wellness
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